A new IEA report on global electrical grids said that a “lack of ambition and attention” risks making electricity grids the “weak link” within the global transition to clean energy. 

The agency said that grid investment needs to double to more than $600bn (£495bn) a year by 2030, or electrical grids could become a barrier to the deployment of renewables and electric transport options – risking climate catastrophe and frequent blackouts. 

The report found that 80 million kilometres (49.7 million miles) of transmission lines will be needed by 2040 in order for countries to meet their climate goals and energy demands. This is roughly equivalent to the total number of miles of electrical grid that currently exist in the world, according to the IEA.

The lack of investment in the sector is already having an impact, the agency added, indicating the growing number of renewables projects that are waiting for the green light to connect to the grid. This includes...